Have you ever taken a virtual tour of a famous building such as this tour of the Alamo? If so, you’ve experienced HBIM (also know as Historic BIM or Heritage BIM). This article will walk you through the concept and explain how that architects, engineers, and preservation organizations collaborate to use BIM today!

What is HBIM?

HBIM gives architects, engineers, and preservation teams a structured way to document and interpret historic buildings. It brings survey data, archival material, and building analysis into a single environment. This supports restoration planning, long term conservation, and public engagement.

HBIM is rooted in the marriage of BIM tools with historic building preservation.

The term was introduced in 2009 by Murphy, McGovern, and Pavia. Their work described how BIM methods could be adapted to historic structures. This approach blended digital modeling with preservation practice.

Historic buildings often have incomplete records or undocumented alterations. Field conditions may differ from drawings. Data sources can include point clouds, scans, photographs, measured surveys, and archival documents. These formats are difficult to organize without a consistent system.

HBIM provides that structure. It allows teams to consolidate documents, track conditions, and link information to a model or digital tour. It also provides a way to share selected information with collaborators, stakeholders, or the public.

HBIM also supports renovation, maintenance, and conservation work. It uses detailed 3D models enriched with historical context. A well known example is the restoration work on Notre Dame Cathedral that used laser scans captured in 2010. Learn more →

Other primary use cases of HBIM include:

1. Preservation through Documentation: A project may substantially change a historic structure. The project team may choose to capture and document the existing conditions for archival purposes.

2. Analysis: HBIM is a powerful tool to understand underlying issues (IE. structural or material decay) that cannot be mitigated. This data can allow engineers to plan potential interventions. A good example are the many challenges the Leaning Tower of Pisa faced over the years until it was finally stabilized in the 21st century.

3. Restoration: All major projects start with documentation. Restoration projects are no different. Once information has been archived in a visual manner, the project team can leverage an HBIM environment for planning, visualization, and executing restoration projects within a data-rich context.

4. Management: Preservation societies can use many HBIM platforms such as Layer App to manage ongoing maintenance, management, and protection of heritage assets.

It’s also the best way to experience a building on the other side of the world. For instance, Matterport hosts numerous historic building walkthroughs you can view for free!

How is an HBIM environment created?

For architects and engineers that work on renovation projects, much of the HBIM methodology will be familiar:

1. Data Collection

The first part of the project will typically be data collection. Technicians will use technology to take detailed digital surveys where photos (photogrammetry) or a point cloud (laser scanning) are captured to capture the precise condition of a structure.

2. Model (or Matterport) Creation

After the data has been captured, it will be processed into a model or digital tour in some type of BIM software. A larger, more intricate structure will take more time to document than a smaller or simpler one. Depending on how the data was captured, it may be turned into a Revit Model, or a 3D Tour in Matterport.

3. Integration & Viewer

The model or tour will then be uploaded to a tool such as Layer App which has a viewer and file management capabilities. At this point, preservationists can start uploading historical documentation to the system then share views with the public.

4. Historical Layering

Preservationists and archivists will have an underlying plan for how visitors will view historic data. A structure may have different interior furnishings over the years. Historic photos, letters, and other material of interest can be uploaded to the database for viewers to learn and interact with.

5. Material Analysis

HBIM models may capture additional data such as material types or current conditions. This helps in understanding decay patterns and planning restoration work and preventative maintenance. You can use an HBIM system to show these as heat maps, points of interest, or other notes in your database.

6. View Access, the “Grand Opening”

Once all of the data has been loaded it’s time to put it to work. Beyond internal preservation and documentation uses, the general public is given access to view the structure over time, learn more about the preservation process, and increase awareness for fundraising purposes.

Conclusion

HBIM gives architects, engineers, and preservation teams a structured way to document and interpret historic buildings. It brings survey data, archival material, and building analysis into a single environment. This supports restoration planning, long term conservation, and public engagement.

The process is not simple. Historic buildings may have incomplete records or undocumented renovations. Field conditions often require detailed verification. Data sets may include point clouds, photos, scans, drawings, and archival documents. Organizing this information can be difficult without a consistent system.

Digital tools help centralize the work. A structured HBIM environment allows teams to store documents, track conditions, and link information to the model or tour. It also provides a way to share selected information with collaborators, stakeholders, or the public.

If you want to see how these workflows operate in practice, you can explore how Layer supports HBIM modeling, documentation, and viewing.

Explore Layer’s tools for HBIM projects → https://layer.team/features/model-viewer

Schedule a demo → https://layer.team/demo